Accidents Happen
by HIMluv
Summary: Accidents happen. Some are good... others aren't. And sometimes it takes a lifetime to realize it. Steven Hyde and OC
1. Chapter 1

When Hyde came to, the first thing he noticed was the aching in the base of his skull, which managed to find its way into every other crevice of his head. Then he recognized the sound of rain; not a downpour, but enough rain to make a constant drizzling noise. As he opened his eyes, sending another shock of pain through his skull, he recognized what was once the windshield of the El Camino, but was now just fragments of glass glittering everywhere.

Then it all came back to him. He'd been driving through the rain, Rayna sitting in the passenger seat. They'd been arguing fiercely when suddenly the beautiful brunette next to him had screamed. He'd looked back at the road just in time to avoid the semi that had died in the street, but not in time to miss the trees that came careening toward the car as Hyde lost control.

Hyde quickly looked to the passenger seat of the car, ignoring the pain the movement caused, and felt his stomach drop when he found the seat empty. Now he registered the sound of people yelling to one another.

"Someone call 911!" One woman was shouting.

"Is she breathing?" Another man's voice called.

Then the mantra, "Oh my god. Oh my god. Oh my god," Which Hyde soon recognized as his own voice. Without thinking, he tried to open the car door, but it was smashed shut. So he started to climb through the shattered windshield. No one seemed to notice him, and soon his feet found the ground. He looked around frantically, his eyes not registering the tree that his car was now wrapped around, nor the glass that made a sparkling halo around the totaled vehicle. Instead, his eyes glued to the circle of people twenty feet away from him. The people shouting to one another. The people trying to help, instead of standing around looking horrified. Rayna was there.

The sound of boots on pavement startled him, because he hadn't realized he was running; it startled the mortified onlookers, because they had nearly forgotten that he'd been in the car. He was about to shout his girlfriend's name, but as he came upon the circle of people, his breath was knocked from him.

There she was, somehow tragically beautiful to him. Her long hair lay out around her head, her full lips parted, and thin cuts all across her pale face. She was gasping for air in a silent way; a terrifying way. The sea of people parted before him, letting him move to her, letting him kneel and rest her head in his lap.

"Steven?" She rasped, and the sound gave him chills. She could see him, or at least recognized his touch; she was alive enough for that.

"Shh. I'm here." He told her, "I'm here now..." People started to crowd around again, and Hyde's anger started to build. "Did someone call an ambulance!?" He shouted. One man from the sea of faces told him that emergency medical teams were on their way. Hyde could only nod.

He kept brushing the hair away from Rayna's face and soon found himself lost in thought as her breathing became regular.

Hyde remembered the first time he had ever seen Rayna. She'd been at the Hub reading a book and drinking a coke. Just minding her own business. But, Fez was never one to let any woman mind her own business. He always had to butt in.

"Hello, beautiful lady." Fez said thickly, inviting himself to sit down across from the brunette, "I am wondering why such a lovely woman is sitting all by herself, do you not have a boyfriend?" Hyde couldn't help but chuckle at the unveiled hope in the foreign kid's voice. The girl looked up from her book once, and then went back to it- obviously non-plussed by Fez's advances.

"Ahem." Fez started again, "I asked, do you not have a boyfriend?" The girl didn't even look up as she said, "Why? Don't you?" Hyde chuckled a bit more, and Kelso shouted across the Hub, "BURN!" Fez just huffed and came back to the table Hyde was sitting at.

"I do not get it Hyde! How come none of the ladies want a piece of Fez?" The whining quality of the foreign kid's voice made Hyde want to cringe.

"It's because they can't take their eyes offa me!" Kelso interjected as he sat down at the table, "I'm sorry, but I can't help that I'm so good looking." And then he took a long pull on the straw of his drink.

"Well then, Mister Good Looking, why don't you try to get Miss Bookworm to go out with you?" Fez's accent made the sentence almost unintelligible, but somehow the gang understood, and Kelso easily recognized the challenge.

"I will!" The tall boy said, standing up, "She won't be able to resist me! Watch and learn fellas!" And with a cocky bravado that spelled trouble, Michael Kelso walked toward the brunette's table.

"Excuse me, Miss?" Kelso started, "I couldn't help but notice that you're all alone, and I wondered if you could use some company?' Kelso was about to sit down across from the girl when she replied.

"Actually, the book is all the company I need right now." She said beaming up at Kelso, "Thanks anyway." The sarcastic tone wasn't lost on Hyde; although he was pretty positive Kelso was completely lost. The tall brown haired boy made his way back to his friends.

"Did I just get rejected for a book?" He asked after several minutes of silence.

"Looks like it." Hyde added, hoping to rub in the wicked burn.

"What kind of girl would rather read a book than make out with me!?" Kelso asked exasperatedly.

"Perhaps she is a lesbian!" Fez whispered, his eyes going wide. Kelso's expression soon matched his.

"She's not a lesbian..." Hyde sneered, "She's just too smart for either one of you."

"Well then, why don't you go ask her out?" Fez demanded, and Kelso seconded.

"I'm not gonna go ask her out. After two idiots in a row, she'll probably think I'm the third stooge. No thanks." Hyde leaned his chair back and crossed his arms.

Soon Eric, Donna, and Jackie came into the Hub, and the brunette, alone with her book, was overlooked as she exited the building.

A few days later Hyde saw the bookworm brunette again, this time at school. Classes had just ended, and he was congratulating himself on making it through the whole school day by watching the cheerleaders rehearse; hoping one of them would fall. And there she was, walking to an old military jeep wearing all black pants and a tank top. At least that's what it looked like. Hyde took one look at the solid practice the Point Place High cheer squad was having and decided that following the brunette would be more entertaining.

Soon he'd caught up to her, and saw that her clothing was some weird tank and a pair of stretchy pants that she now had pulled up to her mid-thighs. He couldn't help but notice that she was pretty fit, and that the odd clothing fit her quite nicely.

"Can I help you?" She asked suddenly, catching Hyde off guard.

"Um... uh, yeah!" He stumbled, "I know that you're new here- I'm Hyde- if you need any help with anything, I'd be glad to, you know, help." He could tell by her expression that she didn't believe him, and she shouldn't considering he'd just made that up, but she was intrigued.

"Hyde?" She asked, and he secretly thrilled at the fact that she'd said his name, "Is that a first or last name?" She asked dubiously.

"Oh! Last." He laughed slightly, "My first name's Steven, but my friends call me Hyde." The girl only nodded, and then started to get into the Jeep. He backed up as she started to pull away- her stereo system blaring Led Zeppelin.

"HEY!!" He shouted after her, "Aren't you gonna tell me your name?!" He stood in the student parking lot and watched as she flipped a u-turn, ignoring the directional arrows, and driving through several empty parking spaces. She stopped right in front of him and turned down her stereo just a hair.

"Rayna Carn." She said clearly and simply, and then pulled away again.

A week later Hyde was sitting in the Formans' basement listening to Zeppelin records as Donna and Eric walked in, followed by Fez, Kelso and Jackie.

"I still can't believe any girl would rather read a book than make out with you, Michael!" Jackie Burkhart's squeaky voice declared, "She must be a lesbian!"

"That is what I said!" Fez said enthusiastically, "but Hyde said I was wrong..." The dark skinned boy frowned as he sat in the lawn chair next to the couch.

"What would Steven know? He's poor!" Jackie asked, while waving her hand as if Hyde's opinion didn't matter, "Who was this girl anyway?" She demanded.

"Rayna Carn." Hyde answered before he could stop himself.

"Really?!" Donna asked, suddenly interested, "She just transferred here from Washington! Everyone keeps talking about her- apparently she's pretty interesting."

"Well, apparently Washington is full of lesbians." Kelso said matter-of-factly, "Because this Rayna chick wanted nothin' to do with me!"

"Ew." Jackie blurted, "She's really weird, Michael. Be glad she wants nothing to do with you!" Then the small sophomore cheerleader sat in Kelso's lap and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"What's so weird about her?" Eric Forman asked, "She's in my English class- she seems really smart."

"Well, you see, we were in open gym and the Squad and I noticed that she seemed pretty fit, " Hyde groaned internally because Jackie's stories always took forever, "so we asked her if she'd like to try out for the Squad." The short, bouncy brunette paused for breath, "Get this! She said, 'no thank you, I prefer dance as an art form than cheer as a social ranking.' Who says things like that!?" The mouse-like girl demanded.

"Someone with a little more than sugar, spice and everything not so nice goin' on in her head..." Hyde mumbled, and Jackie threw him a dirty glare.

"Wow... she sounds pretty cool!" Donna said excitedly, "She must dance at Wyzmore's Dance Studio; it's the only place in town."

"Who cares? She's a lesbian!" Fez said angrily, "Lesbians are of no use to me!" He shot Jackie and Donna thoughtful glances, "Unless... you two are willing to try it out..." Donna paused for thought before punching the small boy in the shoulder, "Aye! All right, no lesbians kissing for Fez!"

But Hyde wasn't paying attention, because he was thinking about paying a visit to Wyzmore's Dance Studio tomorrow afternoon.

Hyde could no longer feel the rain hitting the back of his neck. All he could feel was the weight of her head on his lap, the movement of her body as she breathed; in and out, in and out.

"I'm sorry Rayna, I'm so sorry." He whispered as he brushed his fingertips across her face, feeling the cuts and slices. He could hear the sirens in the distance- he just prayed they weren't too late.


	2. Chapter 2

Hyde found his way to Wyzmore's Dance Studio easily enough, and saw that Rayna's Jeep was parked right out front. He stepped through the door timidly, not sure of what to expect. What he first saw was a long room rimmed in mirrors. A long bar was about waist high all the way around the room, and there were at least fifteen little girls in tights and leotards.

"May I help you?" A matronly woman asked from a desk in the corner of the room.

"Um..." He hesitated, "Is Rayna here?" He figured the worst the woman could say was 'no'.

"She's in the next studio over, the door's on the left." The motherly woman said, and pointed to a door about ten feet from him.

"Thanks." He said, and swallowed hard. Maybe he had been wrong. Maybe the worst the woman could have said was, 'she's right through there.' He started to the door, and as he drew closer, he could hear loud music emanating from the room. He opened the door quietly, curious as to what he'd find behind it.

This studio was also lined in mirrors, but was smaller, and lacked a barre. The speakers were blaring contemporary instrumental music instead of classical, and there were no pink tights and tutus. No buns and strict looking teachers.

There was just Rayna.

She was wearing black footless tights, and a black leotard. Her feet were bare, unlike the little ballerinas in their ballet slippers, and her long dark hair was loose, falling over her face, shoulders, back, and chest.

She was standing in the center of the room, perfectly still. She was unaware of his presence, the music too loud for her to hear the door open. And then she started to move.

It was just an arm that slowly moved in circles by her side. Then she shifted marvelously along with the music. Suddenly her movement became fast, making him gasp. She fell to the floor, then shifted, ran to one corner, then another. Then she jumped, spun, fell again. Soon Hyde couldn't really keep track of her movement anymore; he just knew that he loved it. Loved the emotion she put into it. Loved that she had, in less than a minute, just redefined "dance" for him. And then, as the song slowed and became much more dramatic, her movement shifted with it. The pain was obvious in her every step. Once, when she twirled close by, he swore he saw tears on her face. Then the music stopped, but she didn't. She kept going through the silence. And as she lengthened one particular shape, he could hear her breathing- her hiccupping sobs. Then she collapsed.

Hyde sat himself down against one of the mirrored walls and waited for her to compose herself. She cried for a bit more, he could tell, but she kept quiet. When she stood up, she noticed him right away. She wiped at her puffy face quickly.

"St-Steven," She stuttered, "How long have you been here?" Her voice was thick with tears.

"The whole time..." He said ashamedly, "I didn't realize it would become such a personal thing, or I woulda left." Rayna sighed heavily.

"No..." she paused, "It's fine." Hyde wasn't convinced. There was a long, and awkward silence that he felt was his duty to break.

"Um..." He started, internally kicking himself for his poor conversational skills, "I'm really sorry, Rayna. Honestly." She looked up at him from behind her heavy hair, as if to check his face for a lie. After what felt like eternity, she finally nodded.

"I know." She paused again, "It's all right." She looked away from him then, searching for the next thing to say. Hyde was about to speak, but Rayna beat him to it, "What are you doing here?" She asked quietly, "besides spying on my dancing?" She added with a wicked smile.

"Donna said you must dance here, so..." He hadn't thought this far ahead, why _was _he here?

"So...?" She pushed, but he still didn't answer right away. So she started to laugh.

"What's so funny?" Hyde asked somewhat defensively. She shook her head and made her way toward the door.

"You." she said simply over her shoulder. And then she left the room.

"Dammit!" Hyde said to himself after he'd had a minute to replay the conversation in his head. He hadn't even moved from his spot by the mirror. But then he heard the door reopen.

"If you're willing to wait so that I can clean myself up- maybe we could go get something to eat?" She had just poked her head back through the door, and as he looked at her, Hyde was certain that she had no need for "cleaning up", she looked perfect the way she was. He found himself nodding anyway.

How much longer could an ambulance take? Hyde was certain she'd die in his arms before any help would get to them. He suddenly became aware of someone poking at his back, and asking him something. He wanted to ignore them, to only pay attention to the small woman whose head lay in his lap, but the poking was becoming quite persistent.

"Sir?" He heard from behind him, "Sir? Are you all right?" Hyde wasn't sure how to reply.

"I... I'm not sure." He said quietly, and as he thought about it, he could feel a sharp pulsing in his left side, and he was positive that something warm and sticky was coating the left side of his neck. "I didn't think about it." He could hear his own voice- the frightfully hollow sound of it- but he couldn't make it come out any differently.

"Let me take a look..." The same voice said, and Hyde only nodded, allowing his attention to drift back to Rayna.

That first lunch together had been amazing. Perfect to Hyde in so many ways. He soon discovered that, despite Rayna's taciturn tendencies, she was quite intelligent and opinionated. They had similar political views, meaning that the government sucked and was out to get everyone, and they shared a similar sense of humor. Hyde was captivated, which was completely new for him, and he was determined not to let it show.

It wasn't long before the after school meeting became a ritual for the two of them. Sometimes Rayna and Hyde would talk about movies and how they sucked. Or music and what few bands were actually good. Or, on the rarest of occasions, school and which teachers were the worst. But, more often than not, they didn't really talk. They enjoyed the silence together. Hyde would watch as she easily completed an essay for English that wasn't due for another week, or as she read a book that looked like it could be interesting, but that he would never touch. Finally, one day, Rayna tackled a new subject.

"Hyde?" She asked without looking up from the paper she was editing for Eric, "Do you ever do your homework?" Hyde laughed at the question, which made her look up from Eric's messy handwriting.

"Rayna, I don't do homework." He said smoothly, "It's just a government ploy to get you to fit this standard of the "American Working Man"..." He paused, "In your case, woman." He noted her serious face and added his trademark, wiseass smile to the statement. It didn't help; she was still frowning.

"Steven..." She started, and he worried because she used his first name, "You've got to graduate. I mean," she paused, looking down at Eric's paper, "Do you even know what you want to be?" The question and the tone of her voice irritated him.

"Look, Rayna," He said, trying to keep his voice level, "Why does this matter? C'mon, it's not like I'm gonna go to college, or anything." He hadn't noticed at first, but he had pulled further away from the table. Farther away from her.

"But you're smart, Steven... you _could_ go to college, if you would just try!" He heard the conviction in her voice, and suddenly he didn't want to sit there anymore.

"Look... I gotta go." He said, standing up, "I'll see you around." And before he could even walk out of the Hub, he felt like a complete asshole.

The next day, Hyde went back to the Hub hoping to find Rayna and apologize, but she wasn't there. He knew she would be at the dance studio, but he wasn't sure he'd want to see the type of movement yesterday's row would inspire. Instead, he found his way to Forman's basement. Donna and Eric were having some "quality time" when Hyde walked in, but he didn't mind interrupting.

"Oh," Eric said as he pulled his face from Donna's, "Hey, Hyde... I didn't expect you to show up here...at least, not so soon." Donna nodded her agreement.

"Yeah, well, Rayna and I had sort of a fight." Hyde said in the best-uninterested voice he could muster, "she wasn't at the Hub, so I came here." Now Eric and Donna had shifted and were sharing the love seat the way it was built to be shared.

"Where do you think she is?" Eric asked, "Because she still has my essay and it's due Thursday." Hyde threw Forman a dirty look, although it was doubtful the skinny boy saw it through the Aviators, and Donna punched him in the arm. After an appreciative smile, Hyde heaved a sigh.

"She's probably at Wyzemore's." He said simply. It was his turn to take a Pinciotti punch to the arm. "What the hell, Donna?" He asked as he rubbed his soon to be bruised shoulder.

"Why the hell are you here if you know where she is?" Donna shouted.

"Because she doesn't want to see me! If she did, she'd be at the Hub!" Hyde said defensively. Donna rolled her eyes, while Eric suppressed a chuckle.

"Don't be a dill hole, Hyde." Eric couldn't help but chuckle at Donna's insult, "Of course she wants to see you! She just needs you to go to her! Now, if you don't get out of here, you're going to regret it!" Hyde gave Donna an appraising look before he stood up and made his way to the basement door.

"Don't think that I don't know you just want some more make-out-with-Forman-on-the-couch time, Pinciotti." Hyde called over his shoulder as he left the basement.

Hyde had to collect himself just outside of the dance studio. He didn't want to make things worse. After a couple of moments, he pulled the door open, followed by a tinny jingling as the bells chimed. This time Hyde went directly to the matronly woman's desk, hoping that she'd be as helpful as the last time he was in this building.

"Excuse me but, is Rayna here?" He asked politely. The woman smiled up at him.

"You must be Steven." She smiled even bigger, and Hyde was wondering just how many teeth one person could have. "I'm sorry, but she's in the middle of a class right now." Hyde nodded, hoping to hurry this little interaction along.

"Is there any way I could observe, or, you know, wait for her?" He asked trying to hide the slight irritation he felt. The woman looked at him, her smile slightly less bright, and then at the door on the far right. She seemed to be warring with herself about something, and finally she'd made a decision.

"Oh, all right!" She whispered to him, "Just go on through the farthest right hand door," she told him, "but if someone asks you who let you in, you don't know who I am!" She vainly attempted to hide a giggle, and Hyde had to give a great effort to keep from rolling his eyes.

"I _don't_ know who you are," he told her, "and thanks." And then he was striding to the door in the building he'd never been through.

Hyde was aware of someone gently, and in places painfully, prodding his skin. The careful fingers were searching for any unseen injuries. He had only half listened when he'd been told that his neck was all tore up from what was once his windshield, or that it was likely that at least two of his ribs were cracked, if not broken. He didn't pay much attention when he was told that his left hand appeared broken in a couple of places either. Almost all of his attention was on her. She was still breathing; in and out, in and out. She had stopped bleeding, externally anyway, and her face was a little less tense than it was a few moments ago.

How long had he been sitting here, waiting? Waiting on the ambulance to come save her? How much longer could they take?

He could hear the sirens even closer now.

_**Just a few more minutes,**_ he thought.

_**Just a few more minutes...**_


	3. Chapter 3

Door number two hid an even bigger room than the front one that once held all the little ballerinas. The room had mirrors but lacked a barre, and it lacked little girls in pink tights and leotards. Here were men and women, girls and boys, all dressed in various clothing; clothing they could move in. Also, when the woman at the desk had said that Rayna was in the middle of a class, he had imagined her a student. Not the teacher.

"You're not properly dressed out, Mr. Hyde." Rayna's voice called coldly from what must have been the front of the room. He realized that everyone in the room was now watching him.

"Um..." He stumbled, "I'm just here to watch..." He said meekly.

"Are you injured, or otherwise incapable of moving?" Rayna asked archly. Hyde could tell she was in the mood for punishment. He hesitated.

"No..." He wasn't sure what was going to happen, after all those afternoons, he still didn't know much about Rayna.

"Then you don't get to sit out." She told him, and then refocused on the class, "Everyone, who is able to, participates. It keeps the classroom dynamic going." She smiled on her variously aged pupils, "Please, Mr. Hyde, find a spot in the room that isn't too crowded. But first take off your shoes and socks." He could tell that, if he didn't participate, it might be a very long time before Rayna even looked at him again. He did as he was instructed.

"All right, for our warm up today, we're going to do some Improvisation." Rayna's mood was visibly lighter as soon as she uttered the word, "Can anyone tell me the definition of 'Improvisation'?" A few students raised their hands, and Hyde could see, almost feel, the anticipation emanating from Rayna. It made him smile.

"Mr. Hyde, could you please repeat what Miss Annise just told the class?" Rayna asked him sharply. She knew he hadn't been paying attention, that he'd been absorbed with watching her. Now she was making him pay.

"Um..." He temporized, but finally decided to be honest... two could play this game, "No, I can't. I'm sorry Miss Carn; I was too busy watching you to hear what Miss Annise said." The class shared a small laugh, provided by most of the younger girls. However, Rayna's eyes lit with a fire that was new to Hyde- she was mad, but excited at the same time.

"Miss Annise," she readdressed the girl without moving her eyes from the curly haired boy, "Could you please repeat your statement to the class, perhaps Mr. Hyde would like to pay attention this time." The girl did as she was told, and then Rayna moved on. "If you're wearing long pants, could you please roll them up?" Rayna asked, and then did so herself. Hyde couldn't keep his eyes from finding their way to her freshly revealed and muscular legs. Nevertheless, her voice brought his focus back, "the two rules of Improv: No Stopping, and No Talking." She called to the class, "now, when the music starts, start running. When the music stops, freeze." Then without another word, the music began.

Two and a half hours later, Hyde felt like he was going to die. They had Improv'd for at least thirty minutes, then she'd taught them how to warm up properly- including eighty or so jumping jacks- and then she'd taught a good portion of the "Modern Combo". Everyone in the room was sweaty, and breathing heavily except for Rayna. She was used to moving like this, she only had a slight sheen of sweat covering her, instead of dripping like everyone else.

"Great class everyone!" She called as they all gathered their things, "I'll see you all Friday!" And slowly everyone else left the studio. It was just he and Rayna.

"Rayna?" He asked after a silence that felt too long. She turned to look at him.

"Yes?" She had pulled the hair tie from the back of her neck, letting her wavy black hair fall gently down her torso. Her pants were still rolled up, and Steven was having difficulty thinking.

"I..." He started; apologizing was new for him, "I wanted to...I'm sorry." He finally gushed. "All right?"

"All right." She shrugged as she walked past him, and even as hard as she had worked, something about her smelled good to him. He physically couldn't let her walk through another door away from him. Before he'd thought twice about it, his hands had found hers and he'd pulled her against him into an aggressive kiss. At first, she was unyielding and unresponsive; but, as he kept kissing, she began kissing back. Finally, when they both needed to catch their breaths, their mouths separated, but Hyde kept her close against him.

"I'm...Sorry." Hyde whispered breathlessly, his forehead resting against hers. She nodded, still too out of breath for words, but her mouth found his jaw just beneath his ear, and he knew that his apology was accepted.

Hyde wasn't sure if the moisture on his face was rain or tears; maybe both. He could feel the pain in his body more acutely now, and he could tell that, as pale as she normally was, Rayna was losing color. She was also starting to shiver, so Hyde took off his jacket, at least what was left of it, and draped it over her. He could feel the cold seeping into his ruined ribs, and it hurt so bad that he couldn't suppress the hiss that came from his lips. He could see the flashing lights now. They were here.

But was it soon enough?

A couple of weeks after that day in the studio, Hyde and Rayna were in the El Camino listening to Pink Floyd and fully enjoying the bench seat. After three songs, they finally separated. There was a silence after that, but there was nothing awkward about it. They were comfortable without conversation. But Hyde had been curious about something for a while now, and he couldn't ignore it anymore.

"Rayna?" He asked, and he saw that she was making her way out of the car, so he followed. After they had relocated into the bed of the El Camino, and had situated comfortably, Hyde started again, "Can I ask you something?" He whispered in her ear. She hummed her answer, and added an affirmative head nod. Hyde heaved a sigh, "Why is someone as talented as you, here in Point Place Wisconsin?" He didn't fail to feel her shift nervously against him; the question had hit a nerve.

"Don't you want me here?" She stalled, trying to make him feel guilty.

"It's just that you deserve more than what Point Place can give you..." He finished, carefully avoiding her question.

"Look, Hyde," She started, and he could tell that she was trying to avoid the subject.

"No, Rayna." He interrupted, "I just want to know. Why did you leave Washington for _Point Place_?" He sneered the town name, as if it were somehow ill suited for her.

"Honestly..." She looked up at him, and he could tell that there was something heavy in her eyes, something she had never wanted to talk about- and now he was making her. "My parents died in a car wreck a few months ago..." Her eyes were unseeing, she was back in Washington, reliving her tragedy, "And the only other person I have is my uncle, here in Point Place." He wasn't sure if she was crying or not, but he hoped she wasn't, he felt bad enough already.

"So, now you live with your uncle?" He asked softly.

"Well, he's not _really_ my uncle." She conceded, "He's just a close friend to my parents, and the only person alive with custody rights over me now." There was a heavy silence, and Hyde wasn't sure if he should speak or not.

"I'm sorry, Rayna." He whispered. She only nodded, and before long had fallen asleep in his arms.

When the paramedics finally arrived, Hyde was in shock. He didn't want to let her go, even to the EMTs. Finally, they managed to strap him to a gurney and place both he and Rayna in the ambulance. He slowly became aware of someone asking him questions.

"Sir? What's your name sir?" The EMT was asking as calmly as he could.

"H-Hyde." Steven stuttered, "Steven Hyde." He was vaguely aware that the EMT was writing his name down. "Is she all right?" He asked, and his voice cracked as he asked. What if she wasn't?

"We can't really be sure yet." The EMT told him, "But don't worry about that- we're doing everything we can." Hyde knew that, this time, when he felt wetness on his face, it was from tears. "Who should we be contacting about this accident, Steven?" The paramedic asked, bringing Hyde back from his terrifying thoughts.

"Um..." He cleared his throat, "Red Forman... he's like a father to me..." Then Steven realized that he was having difficulty keeping his eyes open. Was that an IV in his hand? How had he missed that? Nevertheless, before he could give it a second thought, he was knocked out from the morphine.


	4. Chapter 4

Ten pm. Eric Forman's basement. Eric, Donna, and Jackie were sharing the couch, while Kelso and Fez used the chairs. They were all watching TV, but had seen this particular episode of Gilligan's Island before.

"Where's Hyde at?" Eric asked after a prolonged silence in which the Skipper had hit Gilligan upside his head.

"I don't know" Came both Donna's and Jackie's replies. They looked at each other, shocked that they'd said something so very similar.

"He is NOT in his room!" Fez exclaimed, his face instantly guilty. Fez stood up, sort of pacing in place.

"What's Hyde doing in his room?" Kelso asked absently. Fez laughed nervously.

"Well, he is definitely NOT making out with Rayna that is for sure..." Fez laughed again. The entire group just stared at him. "Ay... I gave it away again, didn't I?" The group nodded solemnly, "I am such a snitch!" He shouted. The group nodded again.

They all heard boot steps coming from the back of the basement, and quickly tried to compose their faces.

"What's with all the racket?" Hyde asked, and, when Donna looked up at him, she couldn't help but laugh. His hair was even messier than usual, his lips swollen and he had the makings of a hickey on the right side of his neck. It also didn't help that his shirt was inside out. "What?!" He asked his irritation building.

"Have you looked at yourself?" Donna demanded. Hyde glanced down at himself and sighed. He raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"Rayna!" Eric shouted, "You can come out now!" The girl quietly left the back room and joined the rest of the group calmly. She was better composed than Steven had been; her hair was messy, her lips swollen, and she had several hickeys developing on her skin- but at least all her clothes were on the right way.

"Kelso, get up!" Hyde demanded, since Michael was in his chair.

"Fine!" The tall boy sighed, but then looked at Rayna as he stood up, "Are you a lesbian?" She never got a chance to answer, because Hyde punched Kelso, hard, on his shoulder. "OW! All right!" He complained, "Damn, Hyde... it was just a question."

Hyde sat down and, without need for an invitation, Rayna sat primly on his lap. Kelso yelped.

"What!?" He screeched, standing up from where he'd sat on the floor, "I thought you were a lesbian!" He said, pointing an accusing finger at the dancer.

"Kelso, will you SHUT UP!?" Hyde said, "She's not a lesbian! She's my," Steven hesitated for a split second, "girlfriend." Even Rayna looked at him with shocked eyes when he had finished. Eric was about to say something but Hyde beat him to it, "Come on, Rayna." Hyde said softly, "Let's get out of here." And without a further word the two left the basement and made their way to the El Camino.

Once they were inside the car Hyde put his shirt on the right way and started the engine. Rayna had no idea where they were going, but she decided to wait for Steven to start the talking. Everything was completely silent, even the radio, until they parked at the Reservoir. Hyde let out a deep sigh as he turned off the car. The silence endured for at least five minutes.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Hyde asked quietly. He hadn't looked at Rayna once since they'd left the basement. The girl couldn't suppress her smile.

"I was waiting for you." She said, and Hyde could hear the smile in her voice, "To be completely truthful, I figured you'd be ranting the whole way here." He sneaked a look at her, and found the smile he'd known would be there. However, he still didn't say anything more. Rayna broke the quiet this time.

"So I'm your girlfriend now, huh?" She asked, and there was joking tone in her voice. Hyde knew she was trying to make light of the situation. He smirked at her.

"One of 'em." He said wickedly, his eyes finally focused on hers. She gave him an appraising look.

"If I'm going to be your girlfriend," She started smoothly, leaning closer to him on the bench seat, "then I had better be the only one." Although they had been joking with one another, their tones light, he knew that she was serious, and it sobered him.

"You're the only one Rayna." He said solemnly. And she could see that truth in his blue eyes. She decided to seal the deal with a kiss.

Hyde thought he could hear Red shouting.

"What kind of dumbass...!?" Yep, that had to be Red.

Hyde shifted his weight and, if his mouth had been working properly, he would have shouted with pain. Instead, the sound came out as a muffled gasp. Instantly he felt hands on him, and he knew them to be Mrs. Forman's. He tried to ask about Rayna, but he couldn't form the words in his mouth. The effort exhausted him, and he fell quietly back to sleep.

Three months after that trip to the reservoir Hyde and Donna were sitting in the basement. Eric was upstairs being yelled at by Red, for some reason or another. They heard one especially angry shout from upstairs. Hyde sighed.

"Yep. That's how I'd like to spend my Friday night," He smiled ruefully at Donna, "There's nothing like a good shouting match with Red to get you in the mood!"

"Ugh! Hyde!" She shouted and threw a pillow at him, "You're disgusting!" But they both shared a laugh. As they both fell silent, Hyde couldn't keep himself from thinking back to a time when he had liked Donna. A small part inside of him flared up, and he instantly felt guilty. He was with Rayna, he knew he shouldn't be thinking about Donna.

Just then, Rayna walked quietly through the basement door. Instantly Hyde knew something was wrong, her body language was completely off. He stood up and went to her before Donna could even greet the girl.

"What's wrong?" He asked quietly, but she just shook her head, and wouldn't look at him. She tried to move past him, but he stopped her. "Rayna, look at me!" And as soon as she did, he regretted it.

Her face was covered in tracks of tears, but even that couldn't keep him from noticing the nasty bruise on the left side of her forehead. Hyde's hands fell away from her as he felt a frightful anger flow through him. He carefully moved her thick hair away from her face, and stared at the evil black and blue, and angry red, that glared back at him from her forehead.

Donna came over quietly, concerned by the struggle and sudden silence between the couple. "Oh my god..." She whispered. Neither Rayna nor Hyde looked at her.

"Reg?" Hyde asked quietly, looking down to the floor. He could feel Rayna nod, as if the movement shifted the very air around them. There was an even scarier silence.

"Who's Reg?" Donna asked carefully. She was trying to keep Hyde from exploding.

"Her "uncle"." Hyde sneered, and Donna and Rayna both knew that he was losing his control. "I'll kill him, Rayna!" And then he proceeded to shout and rant about the various ways he was going to maim her 'uncle'.

"Hyde!" Donna yelled, "Hyde! HYDE!" She screamed, finally forcing him to silence. He just gaped at her. "I have a plan."

A few moments later Hyde, with Rayna sitting as close to him as she could, Donna, Eric, Kitty and Red were gathered around the kitchen table. Kitty was putting ice to Rayna's forehead, and Red was oddly quiet. Eric kept glancing at each person in turn, and Donna was keeping her focus on her hands on the tabletop.

"Explain this to me again," Red started, "your _uncle_ did this to you?"

"He's not really her uncle." Hyde said softly, "but he was given custody of her when her parents died last year." Red was looking back and forth between Hyde and Rayna.

"Well, Red," Kitty said worriedly, "She just cannot go back there." Red sighed heavily.

"Kitty," He said sadly, "She can't stay here, half the neighborhood lives here as it is!" His response was not what Kitty wanted to hear, her face said as much, "Where would she sleep, Kitty? Huh?"

"She could stay in my room..." Hyde said softly.

"No!" Red said sternly.

"Absolutely not!" Kitty said in a shocked tone.

There was silence after that. Kitty looked at Donna, "Could she stay at your place?"

"My parents are constantly fighting Mrs. Forman... I don't think it'd be very smart." Donna said quickly, "Sorry, Rayna." However, the small girl hadn't seemed to hear.

"Mr. Forman?" Rayna whispered, Red looked up at her and couldn't help but flinch when his eyes found her bruise, "If you let me stay in the basement, I'll pay you rent."

"No, we couldn't-" Mrs. Forman started.

"Let her finish, Kitty!" Red said, waving down his wife.

"I have a job," She started, but Kitty cut her off again.

"You'll need that money for college, dear. We can't-"

"I have money for college." Rayna said simply, "There was a lawsuit for my parents' car accident and, added to their life insurance policies, I was given one hundred and fifty thousand dollars." She said swiftly. Red was floored, as was everyone else. "I've never touched it..." She finished quietly.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hyde said, after a few moments of silence. She looked at him, her face strangely blank.

"It never came up." She shrugged, "The point is, Mr. Forman," she started again, "I can easily pay for college, a house, and to start my own business." She swallowed hard, "As long as I continue to work hard, my parents left me with every means to take care of myself."

Red looked down at his watch- it was getting late. "Steven." He said sharply, "I need to talk to you." And he pulled the rebellious teen into the living room.

"Sit!" Mr. Forman ordered, and Hyde knew better than to disobey. They were both silent for a moment. Hyde was about to say something, but Red started to speak.

"If I let that girl stay down there with you..." Red shook his head, "If she ends up pregnant..." He was so flustered he couldn't finish a sentence.

"Red," Hyde said smoothly, "It's not like that-"

"Don't lie to me, Steven!" He looked sharply at the boy, "and even if it isn't that way now, it will be once she moves in..." Hyde gave no reply. "The point is, if I let her stay down there with you, you WILL be careful, and you WILL abide by my rules."

"Well, what are your rules?" Hyde asked thoughtfully.

"No criminal offenses from either one of you. Kitty and I NEVER know that you two are... you know! And you do what I tell you, when I tell you!" Hyde was about to protest to that last one, but something in Red's face stopped him, "How badly do you want her here, Steven?" The bald man looked coldly down on the boy, but the boy never flinched.

"Ok, Red." He said determinedly, "You've got a deal."

As he opened his eyes, things seemed to swim a little. He tried to sit up, but he felt a hand pressed to his chest, telling him to stay flat.

"You've got some broken ribs, Steven." Mrs. Forman told him. It took him a moment to realize that he was in the hospital and that Kitty was in her nurse uniform. He tried to talk, but it felt like his tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth. Without hesitation, Mrs. Forman helped him drink a small amount of water. Then he cleared his throat.

"How long?" He rasped.

"You've been sleeping for about two days." She looked at him sadly, "You've got two broken ribs, your left hand is fractured in several places, and you have some severe lacerations on the left side of your neck, but," she said as she leaned over and checked a bandage, "those have started to heal up." But she could tell he wasn't really listening; he looked up at her, and she saw the question there in his eyes. "She hasn't woken up yet."

"How bad?" He whispered.

"Well, amazingly, she only had a mild concussion, quite a few cuts and bruises, and one broken arm." She could see the hope in Steven's bruised face, and it crushed her, "However, she had some serious internal bleeding. She's been in surgery most of the time you've been asleep." He sighed heavily and closed his eyes.

"Is she gonna make it?" He asked, keeping his eyes closed. Kitty pretended not to hear his voice crack.

"The doctor says that, she should make it, but that it's really up to how strong she is... how much she's willing to fight."

"She's a fighter, Mrs. Forman." Hyde said sleepily as he nodded off again.


	5. Extremely Belated Author Note

All right,

First I need to apologize for being so long in posting on this story…

I feel absolutely horrible because I have done to all of my wonderful readers, what I hate having done to myself. I HATE when I commit to a story, only to have the author ditch it.

Well, I am here to tell you guys that I am pulling this story from its seeming grave. I have already started on the next chapter, chapter 10.

It might take some time for me to fall back into Josef and Sarah, because I have met a lot of other characters, most truly my own, in my absence.

I would like to explain my absence, though I'm sure it's not an unheard of excuse:

I started college, and wanted to put as much effort in as possible. I had recently met my boyfriend, and was obsessed with spending time with him. And quite honestly, in the midst of finding this new life, I forgot my fanfiction family. I am very sorry, but I plan on making amends now that my time has freed up.

I am going to finish One Bad Day, and once I have I will move on to The Definition. After that is complete I will consider finishing Accidents Happen, but I might start an Avatar: Last Airbender fic. I'm not sure yet.

Either way, I hope you, my ever loyal readers, will keep following these stories, because they have no real life without you.

Thank you again for all your reviews, favorites, and alerts you've made in the last couple years. I hope I can make them all worth while.

HIMluv


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